[1] Note on p. 40.
[2] "Want, de keuse van zyne begraafplaats mocht van nederigheid
getuigen--zoolang de oud Gouverneur-Generaal onbegraven was had hy
zekere rol te spelen, en zelf had Zwaardecroon maatregelen genomen,
op dat ook zyne laatste verschyning onder de levenden de compagnie
waardig mocht wesen, die hy gediend had."--De Haan, De Portugeesche
Buitenkerk, p. 40.
[3] Van Rhede van der Kloot, De Gouverneurs-Generaal en
Commissarissen-Generaal van Nederlandsch-Indiƫ, 1610-1888.
[4] That of Laurens Pyl.
[5] These figures at the end of paragraphs refer to the marginal
remarks by way of reply made by the Governor Gerrit de Heer in the
original MS. of the Memoir, and which for convenience have been placed
at the end of this volume. See p. 96.
[6] Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede of Drakestein, Lord of Mydrecht, High
Commissioner to Bengal, Coromandel, Ceylon, &c., from 1684-1691. For
a fuller account of him, see Report on the Dutch Records, p. 39.
[7] Elephants without tusks.
[8] Thomas van Rhee, Governor of Ceylon, 1693 to 1695.
[9] The old plural of opperkoopman, upper merchant, the highest grade
in the Company's Civil Service.
[10] Veddas.
[11] Tanjore.
[12] Zinc.
[13] Probably bullock carts, from Portuguese boi, an ox. Compare
boiada, a herd of oxen.
[14] Palm leaves dressed for thatching or matting, from the Malay
kajang, palm leaves.
[15] Chanks.
[16] These figures are taken from the original MS. It is difficult
to explain the discrepancy in the total.
[17] This is the pure Arabic word, from which the word Shroff in our
local vocabulary is derived.
[18] See note on p. 16.
[19] Accountants, Tamil.
[20] A variation in spelling of chicos. See p. 21.
[21] Commandeur Floris Blom died at Jaffna on July 3, 1694, and is
buried inside the church.
[22] Kernels of the palmyra nut.
[23] An irrigation headman in the Northern and Southern Province.
[24] Probably from kaiya, a party of workman doing work without wages
for common advantage.
[25] A corruption of the Tamil word pattankatti. The word is applied
to certain natives in authority at the pearl fisheries.
[26] Acts of appointment.
[27] From Tamil tarahu, brokerage. Here applied apparently to the
person employed in the transaction.
[28] The juice of the palmyra fruit dried into cakes.
[29] The fruit itself.
[30] The palmyra yam.
[31] Palm oil.
[32] See note on p. 15 (cadjang).
[33] Coir.
[34] Bananas: the word is in use in Java.
[35] Durbar.
[36] This has been translated into English, and forms an Appendix to
the Memoir of Governor Ryckloff van Goens, junior, to be had at the
Government Record Office, Colombo.
[37] The full value of the rix-dollar was 60 Dutch stivers; but in
the course of time its local value appears to have depreciated, and as
a denomination of currency it came to represent only 48 stivers. Yet
to preserve a fictitious identity with the original rix-dollar, the
local mint turned out stivers of lower value, of which 60 were made
to correspond to 48 of the Dutch stivers.
[38] In China a picol is equal to 133-1/3 lb. avoir.
[39] Probably the Malay word bahar. It was equal to 419 lb. avoir. The
word is also found spelt baar, plural baren, in the Dutch Records. A
baar is equal to 600 lb.
[40] Florins, stivers, abassis.
[41] These are now known as cheniyas.
[42] Plural of onderkoopman.
[43] The same as chicos. See p. 21.
[44] Pupil teachers?
[45] PardaƵ, a popular name among the Portuguese for a gold and
afterwards for a silver coin. That here referred to was perhaps the
pagoda, which Valentyn makes equal to 6 guilders.
[46] A copy of these is among the Archives in Colombo.
[47] The Militia, composed of Vryburgers as officers, and townsmen
of a certain age in the ranks.
[48] Pen-men, who also had military duties to perform.
[49] The Artisan class in the Company's service.
[50] Sloops.
[51] Same as dhoneys.
[52] Lit. "man searchers." These were probably small boats rowed
by men.
[53] Cakes of palmyra sugar.
[54] Coconut shells.
[55] See note on p. 15.
[56] This is what he says: "It was my intention to have a new
drawbridge built before the Castle, with a small water mill on one
side to keep the canals always full of sea water; and a miniature
model has already been made."
[57] He died on December 15, 1691, on board the ship Drechterland on
a voyage from Ceylon to Surat.
[58] Cured and dried fish.
[59] Pallars?
[60] See page 21 supra.
[61] The church was completed in 1706, during the administration of
Commandeur Adam van der Duyn.
[62] "Van geen oude schoenen te verwerpen, voor dat men met nieuwe
voorsien is."
[63] Tanjore.
[64] This is unfortunately no longer forthcoming, having probably been
destroyed or lost with the rest of the Jaffna records; and there is
no copy in the Archives at Colombo. But an older report of Commandeur
Blom dated 1690 will be translated for this series.
[65] Also lost.
[66] The figures are as given in the MS. It is difficult to reconcile
these equivalents with the rate of 3 guilders to the rix-dollar. The
denominations given under florins (guilders) are as follows:--16
abassis = 1 stiver; 20 stivers = 1 florin.
[67] See note on p. 16.
[68] Hendrick Zwaardecroon.
[69] Customs duty.
[70] Tanjore.
[71] A fanam, according to Valentyn's table, was equal to 5 stivers.
[72] During the early years of the Dutch rule in Ceylon there was,
besides the Governor, a Commandeur resident in Colombo. This post
was subsequently abolished.
[73] An old Dutch measure for coal and lime, equal to 32 bushels.
[74] See note on p. 42.
[75] A mixties was one of European paternity and native on the
mother's side.
[76] Portuguese descendants of the lower class.
[77] The term "qualified officers," here and elsewhere, probably
refers to those who received their appointment direct from the supreme
authorities at Batavia.
[78] The elephant keeper.
[79] The men who attend on the elephants, feed them, &c.
[80] Durbar.
[81] Customs duty.
[82] Toddy.
[83] Umbrella.
[84] Thomas van Rhee.